A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community (Ismaili Heritage)

The Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8eigth century CE and originating in the Shi'i tradition of Islam. During the medieval period, Ismailis of different regions--especially in central Asia, south Asia, Iran and Syria--developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, which have made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Islam as a whole. At the same time, the Ismailis in the Middle Ages split into two main groups who followed different spiritual leaders. The Nizari Ismailis came to have a line of imams now represented by the Agha Khans, while the Tayyibi Ismailis – known in South Asia as the Bohras – came to be led by da'is (vicegerents of the concealed imams). This collection is the first scholarly attempt to survey the modern history of both Ismaili groupings since the middle of the 19th century. It covers a variety of topical issues and themes, such as the modernizing policies of the Aga Khans, and also includes original studies of regional developments in Ismaili communities worldwide. The contributors focus too on how the Ismailis as a religious community have responded to the twin challenges of modernity and emigration to the West. __A Modern History of the Ismailis__ will be welcomed as the most complete assessment yet published of the recent trajectory of this fascinating and influential Shi'i community. Table of Contents * Preface " Note on the contributors " Modern Ismaili History and Scholarship: An Overview -- Farhad Daftary " Part I: Nizari Ismailis: Communal Organization, Institutions, Policies and Reforms " Imam's Authority, Communal Organization and Shifting Identity among the Indian Ismailis (1843-1957) -- Michel Boivin " The Aga Khan Development Network and Institutions -- Malise Ruthven " Communities of Tradition and the Modernising of Education -- Shiraz Thobani " Gender Policies of Aga Khan III and Aga Khan IV -- Zayn R. Kassam " Caring for the Built Environment -- Stefano Bianca " Part II: Nizari Ismailis: Regional Traditions, Developments and Problems " Migration, Allegiances and Shifting Practices: Rearticulating Nizari Ismailism in Iran Post 1840 -- Rizwan Mawani " Nizari Ismailis of Syria -- Dick Douwes " Ismailis of Central Asia: Modern History -- Hakim Elnazarov and Sultonbek Aksakalov " Khojas of South Asia and their Literary Traditions: Acculturation and Identity -- Ali S. Asani " Khojas of East Africa and the Circumstances Leading to their Immigration to the West -- Zulfikar Hirji " At the Interstices of Tradition, Modernity and Postmodernity: Ismaili Engagements with Contemporary Canadian Society -- Karim H. Karim " Nizari Ismailis in the West and their Relations with Non-Muslim Host Societies -- Azim A. Nanji " Part III: Mustali-Tayyibi Ismailis: Communal Organization, Leadership and Policies " The Daudi Bohra Tayyibis: Ideology, Literature, Learning, and Social Practice - Tahera Qutbuddin " History of the Dawoodi-Bohra Tayyibis in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: The Da'is, the Dawat and the Community -- Saifiyah Qutbuddin " Glossary " Bibliography " Index The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Islamic Publications LtdI.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili StudiesThe Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8th century CE and originating in the Shi'i tradition of Islam. During the medieval period, Ismailis of different regions - especially in central Asia, south Asia, Iran and Syria - developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, which have made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Islam as a whole. At the same time, the Ismailis in the Middle Ages split into two main groups who followed different spiritual leaders. The bulk of the Ismailis came to have a line of imams now represented by the Aga Khans, while a smaller group - known in south Asia as the Bohras - developed their own type of leadership.This collection is the first scholarly attempt to survey the modern history of both Ismaili groupings since the middle of the 19th century. It covers a variety of topical issues and themes, such as the modernising policies of the Aga Khans, and also includes original studies of regional developments in Ismaili communities worldwide.The contributors focus too on how the Ismailis as a religious community have responded to the twin challenges of modernity and emigration to the West.'A Modern History of the Ismailis'will be welcomed as the most complete assessment yet published of the recent trajectory of this fascinating and influential Shi'i community. "The second largest branch of Islam, with between 130 and 190 million adherents across the globe, Shi'i Islam is becoming an increasingly significant force in contemporary politics, especially in the Middle East. This makes an informed understanding of its fundamental spiritual beliefs and practices both necessary and timely. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is one of the most distinguished scholars of Shi'i history and theology, and in this volume he offers a wide-ranging and engaging survey of the core texts of Shi'i Islam. Examining in turn the origins and later developments of Shi'i spirituality, the author reveals the profoundly esoteric nature of the beliefs which accrued to the figures of the early Imams, and which became associated with their interaction between the material and spiritual worlds. Many of these beliefs have remained much misunderstood even within the wider Muslim world. Furthermore, Western scholarship has tended to follow the lead of the earlier orientalists and critics, viewing Shi'i teachings as marginal. In this study the author shows, by contrast, how central and creative the very nature of spirituality was to the development of Shi'i Islam, as well as to classical Muslim civilisation as a whole. In this comprehensive treatment, the esoteric nature of Shi'i spirituality emerges as an essential phenomenon for understanding Shi'i Islam."--Bloomsbury publishing. The Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8th century CE and originating in the Shi’i tradition of Islam. During the medieval period, Ismailis of different regions - especially in central Asia, south Asia, Iran and Syria - developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, which have made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Islam as a whole. At the same time, the Ismailis in the Middle Ages split into two main groups who followed different spiritual leaders. The bulk of the Ismailis came to have a line of imams now represented by the Aga Khans, while a smaller group - known in south Asia as the Bohras - developed their own type of leadership.This collection is the first scholarly attempt to survey the modern history of both Ismaili groupings since the middle of the 19th century. It covers a variety of topical issues and themes, such as the modernising policies of the Aga Khans, and also includes original studies of regional developments in Ismaili communities worldwide. The contributors focus too on how the Ismailis as a religious community have responded to the twin challenges of modernity and emigration to the West. “A Modern History of the Ismailis” will be welcomed as the most complete assessment yet published of the recent trajectory of this fascinating and influential Shi’i community. The Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8th century CE and originating in the Imami Shi'i tradition of Islam. The Ismailis of different regions developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, making outstanding contributions to Islamic thought and culture. In the Middle Ages, the Ismailis split into two main communities who followed different Imams or spiritual leaders. The bulk of the Ismailis, the Nizaris, came to have a line of Imams represented in modern times by the Aga Khans, while the Tayyibi Ismailis-known in South Asia as the Bohras-came to be led by da'is (vicegerents of their concealed Imams)